Call to Order: President John Coyle called the meeting to order at 9:00am
Pledge of Allegiance was led by Larry Hoyt
Roll Call by Secretary John Whitney
Absent: Jim Pollard, Ron Hagedorn, Dale Erickson, Dave Levandowski, Byron Harvie
OFFICERS:
President: John Coyle, Vice Pres: Ron Hagedorn, Secretary: John Whitney, Treasurer: Clarke Sharar, Club Liaison: Richard Warburton, Member at Large: Bob Shakespeare, Member at Large: Dale Erickson.
Committee Chairmen:
Handicap/SCGA: Stephen Warren, Membership: Doug Hodson, Tournaments: Chris Marshall/Bob Shakespeare, Publicity: Dan Cameron, Hearts and Flowers: Dave Levandowski, Hole-in One: Ken Gordon, Social: Vacant, Rules: Byron Harvie, AM Sweeps: Ken Gordon, PM Sweeps: Vacant, Past President: Doug Hodson, Parliamentarian: Dale Erickson, Canadian Representative: Rich Davidson, Webmaster: Jim Pollard.
GUEST SPEAKER:
Bob Breidenbach was our guest speaker for this month’s meeting. Bob touched on how to fix a ball mark on the green without disturbing the root structure. Even if you cannot tell which ball mark is yours, “Fix Two” other ball marks anywhere on the green. If we all do that, we will maintain the quality of our greens.
He also asked that all MGC members respect the no parking signs off the first tee.
Bob gave some putting tips and an exercise we can practice at home to smooth out our stroke. He has a grandstand seat from the Pro Shop to watch members putt and his tips addressed the most common mistakes most of us make.
Minutes: Without objection, the minutes of the General Membership meeting of October 22, 2019, as posted on the Men’s Club Website, will be approved by unanimous consent. Approved.
Treasure’s Report: Total Deposits: $16,044, Total Expenses: $3215.63, Revenue from Sponsors: $3200, Ending Bank Balance: $20,821.86
Officers Comments/Reports:
President, John Coyle:
Business Items:
Welcome Back Luncheon was a success, plenty of pizza and beer.
We have to set a time for elections to the MGC Board and form an Election Nominating Committee.
The Charity Golf Tournament this year will benefit the First Tee of Palm Desert. Please let a Board Member know if you are willing to help with this very important event.
Announcements/Reminders:
Wednesday Sweeps will tee off at 7:30 and 12 Noon through December.
Andy Diaz will be our guest speaker at the December Membership meeting on December 17.
We need volunteers for the Club By-Laws Committee. Let John know if you are interested.
The Turkey Shoot is tomorrow the 20th and the Ham Shoot is on December 18.
Cart Path Only will be enforced until December 2, when it will change to 90 degrees.
Commentary:
Bunker rakes should be left in the trap at a right angle to the edge of the trap. The rake should be left in the trap with the tip of the handle at the edge of the trap.
Remember to mark your ball before lifting or touching it.
You cannot ground your club in the sand prior to a shot but you can lean on your club while the clubhead touches the sand. Accidental contact with the sand is not a penalty stroke.
Putting with the flag in is allowed and quite popular.
Please thank our Course maintenance workers for their efforts to keep our course in such great shape. It is a necessary evil to have them out there while we play but they do a great job.
Our Club Champion, George Gamble has agreed to play in the SCGA Club Championship tournament later this year, representing PDG. Jenny Hart will represent the Women’s Club.
VP, Ron Hagedorn: N/R
Secretary, John Whitney: N/R
Treasurer, Clarke Sharar: See Financials above
Club Liaison, Richard Warburton:
The Welcome Back Luncheon was a big success and thanks to Ken Gordon for all the work he put into the event.
Richard appealed to the membership for help in keeping the greens maintained in the great shape we have become accustomed to. If you can help with a green close to your residence, please let him know.
The practice chipping area below the 4th tee has been enlarged and more holes were added to accommodate a greater number of members without getting golf balls mixed up.
He also asked members to adopt the driving range practice of forming a “strip” when hitting out of the longer grass around the pitching green. When you are done, please fill in the strip with sand so the grass will grow back. Please fix ball marks on the green also, at least “Fix Two”.
Member-at-Large: Bob Shakespeare
Bob asked members to contact him if they want something addressed by the Board.
Member -at-Large, Dale Erickson: N/R
Handicap, Stephen Warren:
January 1, 2020 begins the new Handicap posting system. Members are responsible for posting your scores each time you play. There will be a new formula for generating handicaps, with new maximums per hole. More information will be presented to members the closer we get to January. Handicaps change at midnight each day. By January 5th, all handicaps will change to reflect the new policy. Your 8 best rounds out of the last 20 will be used to compute your handicap.
Membership, Doug Hodson:
We have 25 new members signed up for this season. Of the 333 potential members we have, 256 have paid dues.
Doug mentioned there will be an additional $5.00 fee if Canadian checks are used to pay membership dues. The bank charges the MGC $5.00 for every Canadian check used.
Tournaments, Chris Marshall/Bob Shakespeare:
The individual Eclectic tournament will be played on December 4th and 8th. Both rounds will begin at 8 am. This is an individual’s tournament (no teams).
The Member Guest tournament will be altered a little, more to come on that.
If you know of any potential sponsors who may want to support the tournament, please let Chris or Bob know who they are (or you can solicit their participation yourself).
Handicaps used for this tournament will be based on what they are on the Sunday prior to play.
The Member/Member tournament will be the same as last year. The Member/Guest will be modified a little, stay tuned.
Publicity, Dan Cameron: N/R
Hearts & Flowers, Dave Levandowski: N/R
Hole-in-One, Ken Gordon: N/R
Social, Vacant
SCGA, Stephen Warren: N/R
Rules, Byron Harvie: N/R
AM Sweeps, Ken Gordon:
Sweeps begin at 7:30 am on Wednesday’s
PM Sweeps, (Vacant Position): See AM Sweeps.
Past President, Doug Hodson: N/R
Parliamentarian, Dale Erickson: N/R
Canadian Representative, Rich Davidson: N/R
Webmaster, Jim Pollard: N/R
OLD BUSINESS: N/R
NEW BUSINESS: N/R
CLOSING REMARKS (PRESIDENT):
We will raffle off a Golf Cart to support the Charity Golf Tournament. The Cart can be seen during the Golf Cart Parade on November 30. The First Tee will be the beneficiary of this year’s tournament. Tickets can be purchased for $5.00 each or 7 tickets for $20.00.
Gifts for children will be collected at the Golf Cart Parade and be donated to the Coachella Rescue Mission. There will be a bar-b-que in the parking lot after the parade.
ADJOURNMENT. President John Coyle adjourned the meeting at: 10:12 am